Gwendolyn
by Dragoness of Azarath
Summary: This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this. She was supposed to have powers. She was supposed to be a Titan. She was supposed to be sensible. After all, she is her mother's daughter. She wasn't supposed to fall in love. OC/OC. BBRae. RobStar. CyJinx.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is my first fanfiction. I come up with strange ideas. This will probably be an ongoing story. Review if you want, I'm not going to press for them. No flames, si'l vous plait.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Teen Titans. I don't own the word 'Muggle'. I DO own the plot, Doom, Gwendolyn, and Liam.

For now, in the darkness, in the silence, under the moonlight…she was his. Her pale skin glimmered in the milky starlight, the pearly slope of her chest gently rising and falling as she breathed with him. Her eyes, so deep and emerald, fluttered shut lightly as she lay beside him, her slender arms behind her head. Her long violet hair felt like silk beneath his fingertips as he wound a single strand around and around his finger. A delicate smile came to her lips, a smile so rare that his heart gave an excessively hard thump as he saw it grace her features.

For now, in the shadows of the night, high above the city, on a pedestal surrounded by water…he was hers. His steely grey eyes, warm and sparkling, never left the stars above them. One of his muscled arms pillowed his head, the other draped behind her, his fingers tangled in her hair. The events of that morning did not matter so long as they were isolated from everyone else, so long as they could be in the quiet.

Away from the stares, away from the hushed and worried whispers, away from the gentle touches that, though they were meant to be soothing, were more patronizing than anything. Away from the bustle, away from the adults that were so concerned and in disarray, away from their friends who had no idea what to do anymore… For now, things were alright, and nothing else seemed to matter.

When it would be time for them to return, however, to ease their way back into the bustle of the tower, they would lose each other again. Things would go back to how they were, how he would get under her skin just to see if she'd resort to violence, how she would bring him to his knees with her wit and her sarcasm just because she could. They were the best of friends, but the worst pair of people to put in a room together. They loved each other, but they hated each other. It was a particular bond, a bond seen only once before, a bond that could only thrive in the dark and the quiet.

But for now, he was content, and she was safe, curled up by his side. Her face was even paler than usual as she lay guilt-stricken and very nearly traumatized. He sighed and tightened his arm around her shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze.

Her soft and steady voice broke the silence, formulating a question that he knew would have been asked before long. "She's okay, right?"

He sighed, ruefully closing his eyes against the newfound bitterness and fear in the air. "Gwen, your mother's fine. She healed herself as well as she always does."

Silence again. She caught her bottom lip between her fangs nervously, her eyes flashing open again to study the dark shadows that were clouds rolling above them. "Doom?" Her voice wasn't as steady now, more strained and distressed than before. "Do you think I'll ever-"

"Gwendolyn Azara Logan." His hand disappeared from her hair and he sat up, looking down at her sternly. Taken aback, she could only stare up at him in shock, her eyes wide and her mouth open, having been interrupted midsentence. "Yes, you _will_ get your powers. Eventually. You have to stop being so…so…"

"Depressing?" Her pale lips twitched into a sad smile as she looked up at him, arching a brow. "Self-deprecating? Annoying? Sickening?"

Doom laughed quietly, running his claws up and down her arm soothingly, averting his gaze back to the full moon. "I wouldn't go that far. You just need to have patience. You heard what your father said."

Gwendolyn deepened her voice in a mock imitation of her father and said, "'Don't worry until your mother starts to worry. Then run like Hell, 'cause someone's going to get hurt.'" She grinned in spite of herself, propping herself up on her elbows. "Yeah, I know. I just can't help but to wonder…"

"What if you're stuck as a Muggle for the rest of your life?" Though Gwendolyn wasn't looking at him, she was positive that there was a smirk on Doom's face. She had to fight back a laugh at his words, shoving his arm playfully.

"A Muggle? Really?"

His shoulders shook with silent laughter at the exasperation in her voice. "Oh, Gwendolyn," he said with a sigh. "If only you were a witch."

"I hate you," she growled, reaching up and pinching his cheek rather roughly. He gasped and massaged his cheek furiously.

"Um, ow!" he said loudly, turning around to glare down at her. "That _hurt_, Gwen! Easy, will you? Jeepers, maybe you won't need powers, just pinch them to death. Do you have fingers of steel or something? Jesus… Am I bleeding?!"

Giggling, she made to pinch him again, stating childishly, "I pinch!" To this, he jumped to his feet and backed away, making the sign of the cross as if to ward her off.

"The Hell you do!" he exclaimed. "I think a part of my face is missing, my lord, I hope they never let you around any cute babies or anything…"

By now, Gwendolyn was flat on her back laughing, her arm over her eyes as tears of mirth trickled down her cheeks. Though she knew he was only overreacting to take her mind off of the day's events, she had to give him credit for how easily he could distract her. As she calmed down, she looked over to Doom and saw him standing above her, grinning broadly. He offered her his hand and she took it gratefully, pulling herself to her feet. Almost diminutive in comparison to Doom's height, her head not even reaching his shoulder, he took great pleasure in wrapping one arm about her and pulling her to his chest. Another comforting squeeze, a thankful grin from the girl, and it was as if she had never been troubled.

The door to the roof creaked open behind them and they turned, greeted by the lanky and pale form of Liam Stone. His freckled face was wary as he approached the pair, especially after spotting the protective glare that had come across Doom's face. "They want to see you," Liam said quietly, looking nearly as frightened as Gwendolyn felt.

He did not say who 'they' was, but both Doom and Gwendolyn had a very powerful hunch. Wordlessly, Liam came over to Gwendolyn's other side and, feeling a bit more relaxed, she inhaled deeply. "Okay."

And she was no longer his, and he was no longer hers. The moment they crossed that threshold, they would be back to their old games. Like a fox chasing a rabbit, it would begin. Though, with Doom's arm tight around her shoulders and the looming presence of the scolding and the chastising that was to come, she prayed that maybe they could belong to each other for just a little while longer.


	2. Lioness and Laughter

**A/N:** I only update this quickly over the weekend, I assure you. Yeah. Good ol' Cyborg saved the ending of this chapter, haha. Once again, I'm not going to press for reviews, but if anyone has any stupid little moments they'd like added between Gwen and Gar, Gwen and Rae, or amongst the Titan kids as a whole, put it in a review.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Teen Titans. I do, however, own the plot, Gwendolyn Logan, Doom, Damon and Liam Stone, and Autumn and Tristan Grayson.

The hallway seemed darker than usual as the door to the roof swung shut behind them. Rather than squirming out of his grasp, Gwendolyn edged closer to him, tightening her grip on his arm as her heart began to pound frantically within her chest. They could hear the soft rumble of voices floating up to them from the floor below and Gwendolyn squeezed her eyes shut, shaking herself as if to regain her composure. When she reopened them, the only beacon of light she could see was the soft, silvery white glow emitting from Doom's eyes. For once, seeing as he was not using it to sneak up on her in the wee hours of the morning before the sun kissed the horizon, she was grateful for his night vision.

"God, my wings hurt," Liam complained suddenly, breaking the tense silence. Doom was half-leading and half-carrying Gwendolyn, who was picking her steps rather carefully as she fought to keep firm footing in such a shadowy place. Liam was just behind Gwendolyn, rolling his shoulders with a miserable expression on his face.

"Dude, so do mine, but don't you dare," Doom warned, shooting a glare over his shoulder. "This is a _tiny space. _There's no room for your ten-foot wingspan so don't even try it."

"You don't know what it's like to have to keep these things folded against your back all the time!" Liam groaned, his large black wings twitching slightly. "Yours just disappear when you shift, you know."

"Dude, shut _up._ I said no. No means no, now keep them folded and stop your compl--" With a muffled _whump_, Liam had lost control of his wings and they had unfurled behind him, one striking Doom across the face and one swatting Gwendolyn against the opposite wall.

"Liam, if you don't get your wing off of me this instant, I will personally clip your wings and toss you out of the window like a horseshoe," Gwendolyn growled, pressing against the mass of black feathers. A muffled sound of agreement came from somewhere in front of her, and she guessed that it was Doom trapped beneath the feathery canopy.

"Sorry!" Liam said quickly, struggling to tuck his wings back in. "That happens sometimes, I haven't quite got control of them yet. It's tough, you know!" Using his hands, he began to wrestle with the wing that had Gwendolyn pinned and she slipped through the tiny gap, thankful for her lack of height.

Another muffled sound from Doom's corner and Gwendolyn reckoned that Liam had not yet been successful in freeing him. "Sweet Jesus and the baby orphans," Liam mumbled, struggling to turn to the side in order to free Doom and also give his wings more room. His new change of position caught Gwendolyn off guard and she once again found herself against the wall.

"Ow, Liam!" she gasped, held quite a few inches off of the floor. "Put. Them. Back!"

Before Liam could say a word, a door in front of them was thrown open and a light switched on. Blinking in the sudden illumination, Gwendolyn peered around the feathers to see Cyborg, standing in the doorway, a broad grin spreading across his face. "Heh… Hey, Dad," Liam said sheepishly, wings outstretched.

Cyborg immediately began to roar with unsuppressed laughter. Damon, poking his head round the corner to see exactly what his father was laughing at, spotted his brother and grinned. "Nice, Liam. Nice." He then caught sight of Gwendolyn, kicking and growling as she fought to free herself and then Doom, whose head still was not visible due to the mass of feathers. "Doom!" Damon exclaimed, his smooth, coffee face lighting up playfully. "Gwen didn't kill you!"

Doom's head suddenly appeared over the top of Liam's wing and he grinned, giving Damon a thumbs up, mouth full of feathers. This caused Cyborg to laugh even harder and Gwendolyn aimed a swift kick at Doom, ultimately freeing herself and landing on her behind in the dark hallway.

She felt herself being lifted into the air by the back of her cloak and she screeched, beginning to wriggle and squirm until she saw the green arm that was holding her up. Her father held her above the ground, grinning at her mischievously, emerald eyes alight. "Hey, sweetheart," he greeted affectionately, still not putting her down.

"Garfield, put her down." Gwendolyn stiffened at the voice, slowly lifting her eyes to the doorway. Cyborg had been unable to hold himself up much longer from the force of his chuckles and had moved himself over to the couch in order not to collapse on the floor. In his place stood Raven, a bemused smile on her face, left foot held gingerly up off of the floor, watching the ordeal.

Garfield released his daughter, chuckling as his daughter shot him a dark look. Gwendolyn purposely refused to meet her mother's gaze and instead rushed over to help Doom get out from beneath Liam's wing. Raven sighed and pushed away from the door but had barely made it three steps when Garfield was at her side with his arm around her waist. "Don't want you to strain that ankle," he said as thought it were obvious.

Raven simply blinked before arching a brow and saying, "Gar, darling… I can fly."

From over by the couch, Jinx shot her an exasperated look as Cyborg started laughing all over again. "Did you _have_ to?" she nearly whined, watching as her husband lost himself in his amusement once again. "He was just calming down!"

"Dad's scaring me," Liam muttered to Damon, who simply nodded fervently. Even Starfire was beginning to find so much laughter a bit frightening. Her children, Autumn and Tristan, peered around her worriedly, struggling to discern if it was safe or not.

Doom had successfully rid his mouth of the feathers and replaced his arm back around Gwendolyn's shoulders. They were both beginning to grin at the scene, at the slightly worried looks of the Stone boys, at the giggles that were beginning to take Garfield into their grasp, and at the downright bewildered expression on Starfire's face. The only one who seemed unamused was Nightwing, who had now caught their attention. Gwendolyn appeared to shrink in size as she pressed herself against Doom's side, her hands going for her hood.

Garfield reached out and stopped his daughter from hiding her face, offering her an encouraging smile. Cyborg's howls had now become hiccoughs, for he couldn't remember any longer what had been so hilarious.

Gwendolyn suddenly remembered why she was so afraid to come back inside.

"After the events earlier today," Nightwing said quietly, addressing the whole room. "I think it would be best if the children no longer came to watch us when we are called out to handle the assorted varieties of trouble that we face."

There was silence at this as none of the teenagers dared utter a protest. The only sound was that of Damon's energy crackling slightly, as it always did. Nightwing now turned to face Liam who clenched his jaw obstinately. Jinx hissed a warning, though whether it was to Liam to not disrespect Nightwing or to Nightwing to not shout at her son, none were certain.

"It was irresponsible of you to bring the others down near the fight. Be grateful that no one was hurt." Liam's hazel eyes flickered at the thought, but he otherwise remained composed. "Think of the danger you all could have been in. Damon can't control his powers. So far, all you have is your flight. And Gwendolyn! Gwendolyn, as the most vulnerable of all of us could have--"

"Nightwing," Raven interjected quietly, though there was an air of admonition in her tone. "Their instincts saved--"

Nightwing held up a hand and turned to his own children. Autumn's eyes, exactly her mother's, blazed with determination. Tristan chose to stare at his own shoes. "You, of all children, should know the danger of such actions. Autumn, you know your powers tend to short out. What would have happened if they had shorted out mid-flight?"

"We're not children, Dad," Autumn responded quietly. "Gwen's seventeen, and the youngest is Damon, who's fifteen. Weren't you the same age when _you_ started fighting?"

"Our time was different. We were more prepared. We had no choice. No parents to protect us."

Autumn opened her mouth to retaliate, but Nightwing had moved on and was now facing Gwendolyn. "Gwen, I know you were the brain behind this. I want to know where the harebrained idea to jump in came from. Of all of them, you, the one without the means of defense… I can only hope that when and if you receive your powers--"

"Nightwing." Raven was not polite now. She had snapped his name and was glaring at him fiercely, clearly the most ferocious woman in the room. "Gwendolyn's _harebrained_ idea… No, _my daughter's_ harebrained idea could have damn well saved, not only myself, but your wife as well. If she and Liam hadn't caught me, the damages could have been one Hell of a lot worse than just a broken ankle. If Damon hadn't helped Starfire, who knows what would have happened?"

"Raven, you said so yourself that you felt your powers come back as you were falling. You didn't need them to catch you." Raven inhaled sharply and looked to her daughter whose expression had become indifferent.

"You said you wouldn't say anything," Raven said softly, still gazing at Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn's eyes were shut now, having heard her suspicions being confirmed.

"No, Mother, it's okay." The coolness in Gwendolyn's voice was eerie. Raven's eyes widened at her tone. "I knew it already. If you hadn't gotten tangled up in Liam and I, you would have been able to regain flight midair. We brought you down with us. I knew it."

"Gwen, no, that's not what happened." It was Doom speaking now. He knew he had said the wrong thing when he felt her stiffen in his grip.

"Don't call me that, Doom," she hissed. "My name is Gwendolyn, not Gwen. I'll be on the roof." And she swept away gracefully with as much dignity as she could muster, the door slamming shut behind her.

"Well, Rae," Garfield said awkwardly. "She's more like you than we ever thought she'd be."

"Go speak to your daughter, Garfield," Raven said through clenched teeth. "I'll be up in a moment."

Glad for the excuse to leave the room, for he knew that Raven was utterly _terrifying_ when she was angry, he nearly fled the room. "Hey, Liam," Damon said loudly, eyes wide. "Don't you have to…uh…feed the fish?"

"We don't have any fish…" Liam said, staring at his brother, utterly confused. When Damon gave him a frustrated look, he said, "Oh! The _fish!_ Right! Um, I need your help, they're really big fish…"

And the Stone boys fled, their hurried footsteps revealing the fact that they were running. Autumn grabbed her twin brother by the back of his shirt and slowly backed out of the room before also turning tail.

Nightwing quailed under Raven's furious gaze. No one had ever really guessed as to how protective Raven would be of her daughter. None of them had ever speculated as to how maternal a mother demon could really be. The extent of Raven's maternal instinct was never really displayed…but this was one of those rare occasions.

She snarled angrily, a proud lioness defending her young. "You _promised!_" she accused in a hiss. "I told you what would happen! I _told_ you it would hurt her! Nightwing, you are _so_ damn lucky that I haven't yet sent you to another dimension and left you there!"

"You _did_ promise," Starfire interjected, hands on her hips. Jinx nodded sagely in agreement.

Nightwing was about to defend himself when another round of booming laughter came from Cyborg. "I remember what was so funny now!" Cyborg howled, doubled over with laughter.

Jinx threw her hands up into the air, exclaimed, "This is exactly why no one can communicate around here!", and stormed off.

"Cyborg, shut _up!"_ Doom, Raven, and Starfire said together. Nightwing had taken the distraction as a gift from the heavens and quickly departed, hoping Raven would tend to Gwendolyn before finishing her course of, erm, "tearing him a new one" as Garfield had so eloquently phrased it once.

"Aw, you guys!" Cyborg said when they all left the room in a huff. "It was a 'you had to be there' moment!"


	3. Experiments and Explanations

**A/N: **So I think there's a few things I should say. One, the little in-passing mention of Doom's creator? Important for later on. Two, (and this may not come into play in this story, but I'll be sure to let you know if it does) I read somewhere that demons, their mates/offspring and their packs (I didn't even know they had packs) age differently from humans. It was something like it takes six full revolutions of the Earth around the sun for demons to age a year. So obviously that would make Raven, Gar, and the original Titans one pack... and then Gwen, Doom, and the kids technically another. Yeah? I dunno, that's how I'm seeing this now. Imagine it that way if you'd like, but I'll make sure to let you know if it becomes a part of this story. Third, I'll give you a bit of a characterization of the kids. Doom's the oldest at twenty. He was kidnapped at a young age and experimented on, thus his chimera-like abilities. Gwen's the oldest Titan child at seventeen. (Rae and Gar had her when they were seventeen.) Then it's Liam at sixteen. He's adopted, since I'm pretty sure Cyborg lacks the necessary...components... He's got sort of angel wings. Then it's Autumn, Nightwing and Starfire's daughter at sixteen as well. She can fly like her mum, but she has Nightwing's epic martial arts abilities. Then Damon, at fifteen, Cyborg and Jinx's other adopted son. He can control electricity and the like. The youngest is Tristan, Starfire and Nightwing's son. He's fourteen. He has starbolts, but he can also see glimpses of the future. I like throwing in random powers because everyone gets confused as to how they got them, lol.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Teen Titans, it wouldn't have been cancelled and I wouldn't be writing fanfiction instead of doing a history paper.

"Dialogue"  
_Flashback_

Garfield Logan was definitely not looking forward to confronting his very angry and very distressed daughter. As much as he loved her, as much as he absolutely adored her, the truth was that sometimes she frightened him. Her indifferent voice and emotionless eyes could be just downright eerie, her austere expression cold and distant. Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, wondering if Raven was finished pummeling Nightwing yet so that she could come and rescue him from the emotions of an irate teenager, he drew in a deep breath, hoping to hold on to every ounce of courage that he possessed.

He automatically winced when he opened the door, excepting a tirade of cursing and inhuman snarls to reach his ears. Instead, all he heard was her hushed voice, so low, in fact, that he couldn't make out what she was saying. He raised an eyebrow once he spotted her sitting on the edge of the roof, her legs dangling off of the side, clearly alone. "Please tell me she's not talking to herself," he begged aloud, eyes to the heavens, not seeing the irony in his spoken statement.

He cleared his throat loudly, slowly walking to the middle of the roof. Gwendolyn gave a great start, nearly toppling off of the roof in her shock, but an unseen voice gently righted her position. "Oh," she said with relief when she glanced over her shoulder. "Hey, Dad."

A pair of bright silver eyes peered over the ledge at Garfield followed by a pair of clawed gray paws. Pulling itself up, the creature perched carefully beside Gwendolyn, seeming to shimmer a bit under the moonlight. It was quite a bit larger than the girl, with a pair of great feathered wings that were now tightly folded against its tawny back. Its feline head turned towards him and it let out a good-natured chirp, its tufted tail flicking back and forth.

"Gwen… Why is there a caracal…with wings… sitting next to you?" Garfield asked apprehensively, watching as Gwendolyn reached out a hand and stroked the feline's back.

"It's Doom," she said as though it were obvious, stroking behind the caracal's ears. "I know you've seen his dragon form. He's a chimera of sorts. Chimeras are usually made up of a lion, a goat, and a serpent at once, but, well…" She frowned deeply and Doom nuzzled her face with his nose. "Let's just say his creator liked to experiment. He still has the main components… a great cat, a reptile, and a horned animal… Just not in the traditional form."

The cat chirped again and bounded off of the ledge, rubbing its head against Gwendolyn's back. "Oh, um… Oh," was all Garfield could manage to say on the matter. "I didn't know you knew so much about mythology."

Gwendolyn smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She uttered a soft, noncommittal noise and Doom gave a final chirp before padding off into the darkness, presumably sensing that Garfield had come up to talk to Gwendolyn.

Garfield made to lower himself beside his daughter but just before he sat, he noticed a tiny spider trying to scurry out of the way. Gently scooping the spider up into his palm, he set it back on the wall a bit farther down. When he returned, Gwendolyn did not look up, but rather kept her eyes on the stars as she stated quietly, "He says thank you."

"Who?" Garfield's voice was confused. He turned to look at her and saw a deep red flush creeping up her neck and spreading across her cheekbones. "Gwen?"

"The spider." Her voice was barely above a whisper, her lips hardly moving. "He says thank you. You know, for not killing him."

He stared at her blankly for a long moment, blinking rapidly. Her words seemed unable to sink in. Then, "Gwen!" he exclaimed loudly, excitement evident in every aspect of his expression. "You can… You can…"

"Talk to animals. Yeah, Dad."

"When… when did you find this out?" he exclaimed, nearly bouncing up and down in his excitement.

"Just before you came up," she said stoically, hands clasped in her lap. "It was this tiny voice inside my head. I wasn't sure. That's why Doom was in his caracal form. I had never understood him before when he shifted, but I could actually communicate with him this time."

Rather than sounding ecstatic like Garfield had expected, Gwendolyn sounded rather upset. "Hey," he said quietly, putting a finger under her chin and lifting her head so that she was looking at him. "What's wrong, Gwen? Why aren't you happy? I thought this was what you wanted."

"What good is this power, Dad?" she said softly, her emerald eyes swimming with unshed tears. "What good will this do for me in a conflict? It can't…can't debilitate a bad guy, or…or protect me. It's good for amusement, that's all. What animals would be around a crime scene, anyway? They'd have been frightened off by the time I even got the chance to get information from them.

"I can't believe I waited seventeen years for this." She shook her head vehemently, giving in to her vulnerability and leaning against her father's side. "I'm just going to be the only one left behind when everyone goes off to fight."

Garfield couldn't stand the raw emotion marring her usually melodic voice. "But what if it's only the beginning?" he asked, lifting his eyes to the heavens. "What if… What if this ends up being so much more? It's not as though you've never shown any other signs of having other powers…"

_The baby in her arms giggled and raised her little arms, grabbing onto Raven's necklace. Raven beamed brilliantly and hugged the child even closer, nuzzling her nose against her daughter's neck. Gwendolyn squealed with delight, her tiny fingers never releasing the thin golden chain around her mother's neck._

"_Gwendolyn sure is a big name for such a little lady," Cyborg stated from the other side of the table, watching Raven fawn over her daughter. _

"_Aw, Vic, she'll grow into it," Garfield said with a laugh, slinging an arm around his wife's shoulders and grinning down at his daughter. _

"_Sure doesn't seem like it." Cyborg raised his eyebrows. "It's hard to believe anything so tiny can grow into a full person, you know?"_

"_It's harder to believe such a small, fragile being was inside of me for nine months," Raven said, stroking the baby's back as Gwendolyn snuggled deeper against her mother's chest. _

"_I must say, she definitely looks like you, Rae." _

_This brought an even bigger smile to Raven's face, one that warmed the very souls of both Cyborg and Garfield. "Gar, I think it's time we put her down for a nap."_

_Raven rose from her seat, Gwendolyn in her arms and peeking over her mother's shoulder, making negative grunts and squeals until she was positive that her father was following. They slowly made their way to their room, but just as they passed a certain door, Gwendolyn wailed loudly in protest. Bewildered, Raven stopped and looked down at her child, wondering what on Earth had disturbed her. _

_Gwendolyn's eyes were fixed on the door behind them, one of her small hands reaching out towards it. Swiveling around, both Raven and Garfield saw that their daughter was pointing towards Terra's old room. Raven's heart thudded painfully as the nameplate brought back a wave of agonizing memories. They had discovered several days after Gwendolyn was born that the child could sense every shred of emotion, no matter how vague, that overcame her mother. This was what probably prompted her to babble something nonsensical, point directly at the nameplate, and have it shatter into pieces._

_Content, Gwendolyn snuggled back against her mother's chest. Raven, horrified, turned to her husband with apologies written all over her face only to see him grinning. "She's definitely got your intelligence, too, Rae."_

"You never told me that," Gwendolyn whispered, the corners of her lips twitching into a smile.

"And how about when you met Doom, hm? When we all thought he was trying to attack us and you threw yourself in front of him and chucked Nightwing clear across the street with a flick of your wrist?"

"Okay, okay, I get your point," Gwendolyn laughed, burying her face in her hands. She sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"Now, one last thing," Garfield said breezily, wrapping an arm around her and hugging her tightly. "Why, oh why, won't you acknowledge your mother's existence?"

Gwendolyn groaned, disliking the prospect of having this conversation. "Dad, please, not now," she grumbled, squirming away from him.

"No, Gwen, come on. You wouldn't even look at her. What's the matter?"

"Ugh! I don't know. I just… I don't know! I feel like it's my fault that she got hurt. If it hadn't been for my stupid idea, Liam wouldn't have brought me, we wouldn't have tried to catch her, and she wouldn't have had to lie to me about saving her ass. I-I mean, uh… Shit."

Garfield chuckled at that. "You know, Gwen… You may look like your mother and you may have her intelligence and wit and love of sarcasm… But you definitely inherited my way with words."

"You ruined the moment," Gwen said flatly.

"No, I believe your foul mouth ruined the moment," Garfield pointed out, emerald eyes gleaming playfully.

"I like how I tell you that I feel like I'm a disappointment to Mom, and all you care about is my foul mouth." Gwendolyn got to her feet, trying to hide her smile. "Thanks, Dad. You're a real motivational speaker, you know that? How many bad guys have you persuaded to join the light side?"

"You're cruel. You are so entirely cruel. You're, like, the spawn of Satan or something."

"I'm telling Mom that you called her Satan."

"No! Gwen! Don't you da-- Wait. You're not even speaking to her, you won't tell her a damn thing!"

"Touché."

The pair stood on the roof in silence, both staring at each other, Gwendolyn with a look of shock and Garfield with an expression of smug pride. Then, with a devious smile, Gwendolyn said, "But I'm sure if I told Autumn the story while Starfire was around…"

"No need, Gwendolyn. I heard it."

Both Garfield and Gwendolyn screamed, Garfield latching onto Gwendolyn and the latter trying to climb onto her father's back like a frightened cat. Raven stepped into the moonlight, an amused glint in her eyes as her daughter and her husband calmed down enough to both glare at her reproachfully.

"Don't _do_ that, Rae!" Garfield said loudly, clearly shaken.

"How long have you been standing there?" Gwendolyn accused, slipping off of her father's back.

Raven didn't answer. She merely took a step closer and was shocked when Gwendolyn took a nervous step back. "You can communicate with animals," Raven said quietly, not trusting her voice. "That's fantastic, Gwen. Truly."

"That long?" Gwendolyn whispered, paling considerably.

"I would have made myself known sooner but, well… Your father was doing quite a nice job talking to you." She shot Garfield a grateful glance. "Gwen, do you… Do you want to talk?"

"I…" Gwendolyn panicked. Truly, she missed her mother, though they were never far apart. The anxiety Gwendolyn had been feeling for years, watching her friends receive the first glimpses of their powers and wondering when and if she would ever receive hers, had ultimately driven a wedge between them. She gulped loudly, clearing her throat. "Autumn, um… Autumn wanted to…to talk to me. Er… Maybe tomorrow. Actually… Definitely tomorrow."

She whistled quietly and a moment passed before a dark shadow swooped down onto the roof, lowering a wing and allowing Gwendolyn to clamber onto its back. "It's Doom," Garfield said comfortingly, patting Raven's shoulder.

Raven merely looked at him in confusion before saying, "I…know?" in a questioning manner.

Garfield grumbled something about 'out of the loop' before stalking off, leaving Raven to laugh lightly, her hair tousled by the breeze created as Doom dove off of the roof with Gwendolyn on his back, elegantly soaring through the moonlight.


	4. Names and Games

**A/N: **I am SO sorry about the delay. I was sick, and then there was school, and then writer's block, and UGH. This chapter is hopfully leading more into the main point of this story. Next chapter there will be more interaction with the original Titans, promise! In any case... Yeah. It'll all make sense eventually.

**Disclaimer: **I own everything (plot, Doom, Gwen) in this chapter. Except Raven.

_Gwendolyn Logan,_

_It is with intense pleasure that I inform you that, after some very thorough examinations of your flawless transcript, you are our first choice for the K-3 CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) instructor. Despite your unique background that we are well aware of, we are also willing to give you the chance that you rightly deserve. The children certainly seemed to adore you, and you appear to have the temperament needed when dealing with such volatile matters. If your interest still remains, please stop by the school on Friday, the fourteenth of March, at 10:00 AM. One of our staff will give you the grand tour and make the final decision of whether or not you're as perfect a fit as you seem to be._

_D. Stephens_

Gwendolyn smiled softly to herself, holding the letter tightly in her hand, her emerald eyes sweeping the words once again by the moonlight flooding in through the wide window. She was secure. When her friends joined their parents in battle, as she knew would inevitably happen, Gwendolyn would not be sitting in the Tower alone. She would be _doing_ something, perhaps doing just as much good as everyone else would be. Her eyes gleamed, her smile broadening. She would be okay.

The shakiness that had been present in her limbs for days, knowing that the moment she was dreading was drawing ever closer, had miraculously vanished. The ache in her chest disappeared and her heart resumed its natural rhythm, unmarred by the worry of a not-so-distant future. She couldn't help it. She let an exhilarated laugh followed by a happy sigh escape her lips. She would be doing something after all.

A pale hand fluttered near her throat, trembling with a giddy delight. Resting her hand at the base of her throat and closing her eyes, she slowly shook her head in disbelief as a low laugh sounded in the back of her throat. She nearly hit the roof when she heard a quiet voice ask, "What's so funny?"

Stifling a shriek, her eyes flew open in a panic just in time to see Doom's feet slip out from beneath him, causing him to land on his back with a thud. Heart in a frenzy, she could only stand completely frozen like a rabbit cornered by a wolf. "What happened?" she whispered into the darkness, her pupils dilating as she squinted in Doom's general direction.

"Slipped on this," he replied grumpily, waving a white envelope in his hand. Flipping it over, he quickly scanned the front. "It's for you."

"I know." She held up the letter, the warm glow of her delight returning to her veins. "I got a reply, Doom."

His grey eyes widened and he passed a hand through his dark hair, eyes never leaving hers. "And?" he prompted, stepping closer. "Did you get it?"

She couldn't prevent the smile from flickering back onto her face. "They said I'm their first choice. They want me to go in tomorrow morning."

Doom let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. "That's great, Gwen! You really loved those kids… Do you want me to…" He trailed off suddenly, wondering if he was possibly overstepping the unspoken boundaries of their friendship. In the darkness, they belonged to each other, though he was never sure why. It was just the way it had happened. During the day… Well, that just wasn't natural.

Which is why he was surprised when she nodded her magnificent head, her hair falling out of the loose bun she had twisted it into. "I do want you to…you know," she finished lamely.

He couldn't help but to grin, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Do my ears deceive me? Did I cause the lovely Gwendolyn Logan to forget her eloquence and be at a loss for words?"

"We were having a moment, you obnoxious prosimian," she snapped, her demeanor shifting altogether. "Why must you do that, Doom?"

"Gwendolyn…"

She opened her mouth to retort, to mock his somber attitude, but found that she couldn't. She gaped soundlessly at him, eyes widening helplessly as she searched him for answers. He only shrugged, a sad sort of smile tugging at his lips. "If you're looking for my first name, Gwennie, you're not going to find it."

She was so taken aback that she let the revolting nickname slide. Her eyes clouded with confusion, her dark brows rose, her pale lips tightened into a grim line. She pulled restlessly on the hem of her camisole, shuffling her feet against the floor slightly. "You mean to tell me that you don't…"

"The Professor never named me." He shrugged indifferently, flopping down onto the couch. "Mostly called me Experiment 3CH5. Three for the age he found me, the two letters to abbreviate what he wanted to turn me into and… the five for how long he thought I'd survive."

Gwendolyn was horrorstruck. She wasn't even aware of her brain alerting her legs to move. All she was aware of was her legs moving of their own accord, propelling her across the room and bending at the knee slightly so that she could launch herself into his lap, her eyes filled with horror. "You don't have a name?" she whispered.

"I do. The one you gave me. Doom." His smile was a bit more heartfelt this time as he shifted his arms around her, pulling her into a more comfortable position. "Remember? The day we met. Your father asked where I was staying, and I said somewhere nearby. You immediately replied with, 'Well, in that case, we're all doomed.'" He chuckled, his fingers finding her spine and rubbing his thumb against it gently.

"You mean…I…" Her heart gave a very painful thud, her stomach lurched, and she felt the angry sting of tears in her eyes. "If I had known… I wouldn't have…"

Perhaps she was feeling vulnerable. Perhaps the emotional rollercoaster she had been stuck on for the past seventy-two hours was finally taking its toll. The fright, to the sense of pride, to the disappointment, to the anguish… And then the giddy relief to top it all off. Yes, that was it. Her emotions were going haywire. She was too unorganized, more unorganized than she had ever been. And this is what prompted her to accept that it was perfectly okay to burst into tears.

"Gwen!" Doom exclaimed, jumping a bit at her sudden wail. "Gwen? Gwennie, you're okay, it's alright, what the hell happened?!"

"If I had known, I wouldn't have given you such an _awful_ name!" she cried, pulling back to see him clearly. "I feel like such a…such a…"

"Oh, come now, Gwen," Doom said with a soft chuckle. "It's creative and, I mean, I think I have the most intimidating name on the team! Besides Jinx. We might be neck and neck with that one." He lifted one of his hands to her face and cradled her head against his shoulder as she struggled to gain control of herself, sniffling as she held back the second flow of tears.

"I just feel so _awful_!" she exclaimed, her breath against his neck. "If I had _known_ I would have given you a better name… Or at least a real name, and Doom could be your alias, you know?" She trailed off, her silence thoughtful.

"No. It's okay. Really." He sat back, settling against the couch cushions and closing his eyes lazily. He was so comfortable, and so exhausted…

"Why?" she suddenly snapped, lifting her head to glare at him owlishly. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, bewildered at her sudden change of mood.

"_That!" _she hissed, gesturing wildly with one of her hands. "Letting me off the hook all the time, never getting mad, never even getting _irritated!_"

Doom shrugged, a crooked smile on his face. "What can I say? You balance me."

She opened her mouth to, most likely, ask him exactly what he meant by that but he patted her on the top of her head with a sense of finality. "In any case… I'm exhausted. You probably are, too. We should head to bed."

"I am." With that said, she tossed a pillow into his lap and put her head on it, curling up until she was comfortable. "Goodnight."

He had to laugh. She was just funny like that. One moment she was yelling at him and the next she was cuddled up against him, falling asleep with her head in his lap. He was certain that he would never understand her. His notion was solidified when she suddenly looked up at him, her eyes half-closed with exhaustion.

"Alexander," she muttered, her voice hoarse.

"Um, what?" Doom asked uncertainly. Perhaps she was still asleep…

"I'm naming you Alexander," she said a little louder, placing her head back on the pillow. "You can't go around introducing yourself as Doom. So… Alexander."

"Why Alexander?"

She shrugged, her eyes closed. "It means 'protector'." And she would say no more.

--

Somewhere across town, a man was chuckling to himself. His plan was working perfectly. The magnificent creature would be in his clutches soon and her long hair would be his to play with, her eyes his to tamper with, her DNA his to…fix. He grinned at the thought, a manic glint in his eyes.

She would serve well. And her _protector_ would be able to do nothing to stop him.

--

A floor above the two teenagers in the common room, Raven jolted awake with a small cry. Her chest heaving, she reached out in a panic, gripping the sleeping Garfield's arm, her shoulders shaking. The image would never leave her mind. Never would she be able to forget that nightmare, that awful image of her daughter… Her bright and witty daughter with every shred of humanoid appearance gone from her body, with eyes that showed no sign that she had ever been human.


End file.
